Pentagon Releases Annual China Military Report

WANG ZHAO/AFP/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- The Pentagon has released its annual report on China’s military programs, which has drawn special attention to the country's growing use of cyber-espionage.

It is likely China will respond negatively as it does every year to this congressionally-mandated report.

David Helvey, deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia, briefed reporters Monday about the report’s contents.

“China's military continues to explore the role of military operations in cyberspace as a feature of modern warfare and continues to develop doctrine training and exercises, which emphasize information technology and operations," Helvey said Monday in his opening statement.

The report itself said that China’s military had been behind some cyber-espionage attacks on the U.S. According to the report, "In 2012, numerous computer systems around the world, including those owned by the U.S. government, continued to be targeted for intrusions, some of which appear to be attributable directly to the Chinese government and military."

This year China announced a 10.7-percent increase in its military budget, raising its publicized defense budget to $114 billion. However, the reports have always said that it’s difficult to calculate how much China’s actually spending on its military. Last year China said it spent $106 billion, but actual spending was probably between $135 billion and $215 billion.